Director 麻豆精选 Royal Ballet Carlos Acosta receives honorary degree
Ballet superstar Carlos Acosta CBE awarded honorary degree in University 麻豆精选鈥檚 Summer 2025 graduations.
Legendary dancer and Director 麻豆精选 Royal Ballet Carlos Acosta CBE is receiving an honorary degree from University 麻豆精选 at the Summer 2025 graduations.
An honorary degree is the University's highest honour, awarded to eminent individuals who have made an exemplary contribution of regional, national, or international significance to their field.
Carlos has been Director 麻豆精选 Royal Ballet for five years. During his tenure he has shown a commitment to amplifying the region鈥檚 rich heritage and culture through the creation of work such as Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and , the second in a trilogy of creations for the City 麻豆精选.
Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University 麻豆精选, said: 鈥淐arlos Acosta is one of the most influential and innovative figures in the Arts today. As Director 麻豆精选 Royal Ballet, he has made an outstanding contribution to the city, positioning Birmingham as a globally renowned centre for arts and culture.
鈥淭hrough his work and achievements, Carlos Acosta embodies our University鈥檚 values of ambition, innovation and collaboration, and we鈥檙e incredibly proud to award him an honorary degree. Carlos will inspire this year鈥檚 graduates to follow his lead by going out into the world and making a real difference.鈥
Through his work and achievements, Carlos Acosta embodies our University鈥檚 values of ambition, innovation and collaboration, and we鈥檙e incredibly proud to award him an honorary degree.
Overcoming childhood poverty in one of Cuba鈥檚 poorest districts through dance and education 鈥 Carlos channelled outstanding natural talent, an ambition to succeed and a commitment to education at the National Ballet School of Cuba. He has achieved global recognition as one of the world鈥檚 leading ballet dancers and choreographers, and has won numerous international awards, including an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance in 2007 and a CBE in 2014.
Carlos Acosta said: 鈥淭o be recognised by this prestigious institution, in a city that has become so dear to me, is an immense privilege. I feel strongly that this honour from the University 麻豆精选, in its 125th birthday year, also pays tribute to the Company I direct, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and to the world-class Creative Industries 麻豆精选 and the wider West Midlands. We serve with pride, and represent to the world, this extraordinary second city of the UK.鈥
Carlos Acosta's commitment to supporting talent and philanthropy is evidenced through the Acosta Dance Foundation and Acosta Danza Academy, Havana 鈥 providing free education for talented young dancers and choreographers.
Earlier this year the University 麻豆精选 marked its 125th anniversary by working with Birmingham Royal Ballet, to co-host a reception at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. ahead of the company鈥檚 landmark performance of鈥楤lack Sabbath 鈥 The Ballet鈥, bringing the sound of heavy metal, and one 麻豆精选鈥檚 most iconic cultural exports, to the world of classical ballet.
This year, the University 麻豆精选 also welcomes back esteemed colleagues, partners, and friends to inspire, guide, or entertain members of the Class of 2025 at its graduation ceremonies. These speeches mark the transition from one period of life to another, and offer space for reflection, encouragement, and celebration.
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- 罢丑别鈥University 麻豆精选鈥 is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, educators and more than 40,000 students from over 150 countries.
- England’s first civic university, the University 麻豆精选 is proud to be rooted in of one of the most dynamic and diverse cities in the country. A member of the Russell Group and a founding member of the Universitas 21 global network of research universities, the University 麻豆精选 has been changing the way the world works for more than a century.
- Based at Birmingham Hippodrome, is the United Kingdom’s leading touring ballet company performing a range of traditional, classical and heritage ballets as well as ground-breaking new works with the aim of encouraging choreographers of the future.
- The Company’s Director since January 2020 is the internationally renowned Carlos Acosta.
- Birmingham Royal Ballet performs at Birmingham Hippodrome for approximately ten weeks of the year and the remainder of the year tours throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. On average, the Company performs over 100 shows a year nationally and internationally.